Magazine fire-arm



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

JOSEPH J. svvEIiN-EY AND WILLIAM Wf WETMOEE, OE NEW -HAvEN, CONNECTICUT, AssIGNOEs OE ONE-HALE OE THEIR EIGHT To THE WINCHESTEE EErEATINoAmIsfeeMeanaeE sAME PIT-Acer- MAGAZINE FIRE-ARM.

SPECIFICATION forming'- part' of Letters Patent No. 223,409, dated January 6, 1880.

i i Applicationiiled J une 25, 1875.

To all 'whom t may concern 1 Be--thnown that we, JOSEPH J.. SWEENEY and. WILLIAM W. WETMORE, of 'New Haven, in the county of'Neiv Havelland State of Gon-4 necticut, have invented certain Improvements in Magazine Fire-Arms, of which the follow' ing is a specification.

Our invention relates to magazine {ire-arms and the invention consists in a peculiarly-con- Io structed device for cla mping the cart-ridges in the magazine, by which theyr shall first be separated slightly, so as not to touch one another, and then be secureiy heldby their-Bauges, so as to prevent the possibility oi their being 15 moved either forward or backward until released, a-ll as hereinafter more fully described. Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a gun having our improvement applied thereto. y Fig. 2 is a face view or elevazo tion ofthe butt-end of the stock, showing the button for operating and fastening the cla-Inpj ing device; and Fig. 3 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a portion of the magazine and clamping device detached, to more fully illus- '2 5 trate theirconstruction.l

The object of this invention is not only to clamp the cartridges fast in the magazine, but also to separate them, so that .they shall not touch' each other; 4and to accomplish these results we construct the parts as follows:

In the drawings, A represen ts the butt-stock l of a magazine fire-arm. B indicating the maga-- zine or tube which holds the cartridges, as is usual in this class of arms. Parallel with this 3 5 tube or magazineB we place a rod, D, which is jour-nale'd at its ends, and, if necessary, provided also with intermediate bearings, to hold it from springing, and so that it may be readily rotated or turned in its bearings. This rod 4o D may be located above or below or at either side of the'tube B, as may be tound most con-l venient, it usually being most convenient to arrange it over the tnlie in this style of arm, as shown in-'-Fig. l'. To its rear endy isrigidly '45 secured a button or thumb-piece, I, which, as shown in Figs. l and 2, is fitted in a'recess in the Outer surface of the butt plate, and by.-

which the rod D can be readily turned one Way or the other'in its bearings, there being also a couple of small spring or frictionpins, 5o c, projecting from the bottom of the recess. so as to engage in corresponding recesses in the under side of the button I, and thus iock it and the rod D in .position when turned either to the right or left.

`As shown in Figs. I and 3,' the rod D is provided at intervals with pairs of projections b c, the pairs being at distances from each other equal to the length of the cartridges tobe used. These projections or clamps are made 6o of such a length that when the rod is turned 'to'theprcper position they will enter openings in the side of the tube B provided for thelpur pose, as shown, andproject into the tube far enough to clamp the flanges lof the cartridges 0, as shown in Fig. 3, and thus all the cartridges in the magazine will be securely held against any end movement either forward or backward.

Forthe purpose of eifecting a separation of 7o the cartridges, so as to prevent them from resting against or touching each other, we make` lthe rear face of the front projection, c, of each pair beveled, as shown in Fig. 3, the bevel or inclination of each succeeding clamp c, from the front to the rear one Aof the series, being somewhat greater than that of the one immediately in its front, so that when the rod is turned into position to canse the clamps to take hold of the anges of the cartridges each 8o succeedingl clamp c from the front end backwardwiil draw its cartridge backward slightly more 'than the one in front of it, and thus all of the cartrid es in the magazine will be separated inthe f ct of clamping them fast in the 8 5 Y magazine. This variation in the bevel or inclines of the clamps c is shown, as also the separation ot' the cartridges effected thereby, inFig.3. i y

It will thus be seen that the projections c, 9o 4While serving in conjunctiolrivith the projections b, act as clamps to hold the cartridges from moving endwise. They also operate as cams, to cam or move the cartridges backward, and they may properly be described as a'series of cams of a regularly-increasing size oreccentricity'.

'In order to produce the best results possible the narrowest part ot the space between the BREST VRBLE COPY clamps b c should be just equal to the thickness of the anges l, with which they engage. so that when "engaged therewith there shall be no looseness or movemeutof the cartridges fore and aft, and at `the same time, by making the rod slightly eccentric, so as to cause it to IIS :bear firmly upon the edges ot the dan ges, and

thus press the cartridges tightly against the opposing wall of the magazine, they will also be held against any lateral movement, and thus be held perfectly rigid in the magazine, thereby preventing them from moving r shaking' about therein.l

It is lobvious that this improvement may be applied to guns which have their magazines fir arranged in front ot' the breech mechanism under the barrel, as well as to those having the magazine in rear, as here shown. In case it is applied to a magazine containing a large number ot' cartridges it will only be necessary 10 extend the clamps b c farther aroundthe rod vin order to obtain the necessarily increased movemeny of the rearward cartridges, and to give the rod D a correspondingly-increased rotation.

It is also obvious that the inclined or camfaced projections c may be used and made to draw the cartridges apart without using` the proiections b, the periphery ot' the parts c being in that case also made eccentric, so to bear or wedge against the sides ofthe cartridges and hold them against-end movement; but we l preferto use the two together, as producing more perfect results.

lt is further obvious that instead of the thumb-piece I, located at the butt, a lever or other suitable device may be used, and be located at any other point, for operating the clamping-rod D, and that, if desired, it may be so arranged as to be thrownl into connection with and be operated by a moving member of the breech mechanism.'

We are aware that a device for clamping the cartridges in the magazine of a gun has been patented; but We are not aware that such a device has ever been made to hold the cartridges by engaging with the opposite faces oi' their anges, nor that any plan has ever before been devised for separating the several cartridges in the magazine; and therefore What we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

l. lIn combination with the magazine Iof a one end to the other of' the series, arranged to operate substantially as described, whereby the cartridges in the magazine may be sepa- 'rated from each other, as set forth.

2. In combination with the magazine B, the rod D, provided with the'v clamping devices b c, constructed .and arranged to grasp the cartridges on both sides of their flanges, and thus prevent their moving endwisein the magazine, substantially as and for the purpose set forth. n

JOSEPH J. SWEEN EY. WILLIAM W. WEIMORE. Witnesses:

GEO. E. HoDsoN J AMES D. KING 

